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Published: October 31st 2009
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We headed South into New Mexico from Colorado. It has been a welcome treat to be off the Interstates, especially since, where we have been travelling, there isn't that much traffic on the secondary roads. Our route to St. Michael's Skeet in Canones was no exception. The terrain was clearly different from Arizona or Colorado, and not like anywhere I've seen before. The color of the stone is not as flamboyant as in Utah, but lighter than Colorado, and with lots of evident layers.
As we approached Canones, we saw a sign that said "Monastery," so naturally we made the turn. As it turned out, it was the wrong monastery, but the road we took to it was worth the detour. It was an unimproved Forest Service road, taking us through nearly 20 miles of the Santa Fe National Forest and some of the most pleasing country we have seen. The fact that it was such a beautiful day only added to our enjoyment. We stopped at several places along the way to enjoy the views of the Chama River and take some pictures. I had just remarked that, even if it proved to be a wrong turn, the beauty
of the road was worth it, when we came upon a Roman Catholic Monastery. It looked pretty interesting, but it wasn't our destination. We drove back out to the paved road and continued a few more miles to the other side of Lake Abiquiu and Canones. The town is hilly, with some pretty rough roads, and looks as though it could be in Mexico.
We found St. Michael's, met the guesthouse caretaker, and settled in. In addition to the caretaker, John, we met Father Andrew, Father Christian, and Brother Seraphim. After a good supper prepared in the guesthouse kitchen, we attended Vespers, then had an evening cigar before retiring. As it happens, John and Seraphim also enjoy cigars, so it was a pleasure to share with them.
We arose early the next day for Matins, then made a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes. We would need it. Brother Seraphim had agreed to take us on a hike up the mesa across the road from the Skeet, where there is a cave used by the monks for mediatation, and an ancient ruin. Seraphim gave us a great gift, as we might not have made it up (or down!) the
mesa without his guidance. Since we were starting from over 7,000 feet, the 600-foot climb left us pretty breathless, and the views from the top took away the rest of our breath. We went first to the cave, a place reminiscent of ancient hermitages in the Middle East. A monk who previously resided at the Skeet had enlarged the cave, including an interior "room," and had added icons and lanterns. It is an amazing and inspiring spot, perched precipitously on the side of the mesa. After spending some time enjoying the views of Cerro Pedernal (famous from Georgia O'Keefe's art) and Lake Abiquiu, we paused while Andrew read a Canon inside the cave. Next it was time to continue to the Tsiping Pueblo ruins.
Father Andrew told us that he had encountered an archaeologist at the ruins once, and was told that the place had been occupied for nearly a thousand years. Furthermore, the people currently residing in Canones are directly descended from the people who built the structures on the mesa. When one enters the ruins, it becomes clear pretty quickly that this is an extensive site. There are countless worked blocks of volcanic stone everywhere, some of
them in more or less intact walls, others in heaps. The further you go, the bigger it gets. According to Internet sources, the village included nearly 400 ground floor rooms, and 16 kivas for ceremonial occasions. There are also a number of cave rooms along the lower edge of the site. Because of the site's remoteness and relative inacessibility, it is more or less unspoiled by tourism. Since the numerous buildings have largely collapsed, it is not so immediately spectacular as Canyon de Chelly or Mesa Verde, but as you explore the area, you become aware of countless pottery and flint fragments that lie all over the ground. There is a very palpable presence to the place, a combination of the countless artifacts, the long-ago residents, the sacredness of the kivas, and the sublime views. After the more strictly controlled and frequently-visited sites, this was truly special to all of us. We wandered all around the site (it covers probably a quarter of a mile) for quite a while, looking at details, taking pictures, and absorbing the atmosphere. Ultimately, it was time to descend the mesa.
Brother Seraphim first took us to "his" rock, a projecting point where he
comes to meditate. Then he showed us how he gets down from the mesa. Because the rock is very crumbly, there are deposits of loose debris that collect in the dry streambeds. Seraphim's preferred method of descent is to "ski" down the rubble, sliding down the steep slope as though it were a fresh powder run in Aspen. As we watched him disappear from view at an alarming rate, we decided we had better follow or would have to find another, slower way of our own. The method works remarkably well, as long as you don't run into a larger rock, or a bare spot on the underlying mesa. We came hurtling down three segments, dropping 400 or 500 feet in a very short time and hoillering like lunatics. Then, just when we thought the adventure was over, Seraphim took us to the edge of a 50-foot cliff. He pointed down and told us this was how we would get the rest of the way down. Then he dropped casually off the edge onto a narrow (5 or six inches) ledge and starting working his way across the cliff face using a variety of even narrower hand- and footholds. He
helped us each to find our way across, and we ultimately got to a wider ledge, and then worked our way the rest of the way down. It was an experience we would not soon forget.
We returned to the monastery to find that Father John, the abbot, had returned, so we were able to meet him before packing up our car to continue to Albuquerque and our visit with Andrew's friend Dom, a recent Shepherd U. graduate currently working at the Native American Academy. After several telephone conversations and a dose of rush-hour Interstates, we met Dom and had dinner at a downtown brewpub. It was really great of Dom to put up with three extra guys in his apartment, especially one old guy. He insisted that I sleep in his bed, while he joined Andrew and Alec on the floor.
The next day (Thursday), Dom had to work, so it was a good opportunity to catch up on some housekeeping. I did some laundry, got the oil changed in the car, got a haircut, and went to Home Depot to purchase a piece of PVC pipe to hold together our busted tent ridgepole. It turned out
View from the cave
The monastery is below, with the Cerro Pedernal in the distance to be a good solution, which was of some importance since we had decided to visit another part of the Santa Fe National Forest to camp on Friday night.
We drove up into the Jemez mountains and camped near a lake, passing through several Pueblo villages along the way. I decided to take a day off from photography, but it was a really lovely and peaceful spot. Alec made another great camp dinner, and we had a great night of laughing, playing the whistle, smoking cigars, and drinking both champagne and beer, before settling in for a good sleep. After making fried egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, we packed up and headed out. We stopped at a Pueblo farmer's market for some frybread and green chile, definitely the best Native food we encountered. The Jemez people are very attractive, as is their art. I purchased a small bowl from a local potter to remember the day.
After a great sushi dinner in Albuquerque, we got up on Sunday to head east for Texas.
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